


I was sent here, your dog to seize

by trialbyfic



Series: they are siblings (and they care for each other) [9]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: (bc of Laika's backstory), (tosses coin into the well) let this become a real tag one day, Animal Abuse, Arguing, Comfort, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jonny and Nastya are siblings, Light Angst, Protective Siblings, Siblings, little bit of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26501977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trialbyfic/pseuds/trialbyfic
Summary: Jonny suddenly registers the oddity of the question as well, and narrows his eyes. "Yeah, why DO you want to know if we can feed a dog?"Nastya's response of "Why do you-" is cut off by a quiet, high-pitched whining and whimpering in the background. Her voice moves away from the speaker at that, and her now distant whispering sounds almost like cooing."Nastya?"Nastya's voice comes back into clarity to say "I'm bringing home a dog."---The Mechanisms (read: Nastya) adopt a dog.
Relationships: Jonny d'Ville & Nastya Rasputina
Series: they are siblings (and they care for each other) [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926106
Comments: 24
Kudos: 101





	I was sent here, your dog to seize

**Author's Note:**

> finally... i've written the fic that begins to coalesce my previous jonny and nastya fics into one universe... this can be read alone, but what you'd need to know is that 1. [jonny stopped nastya from going Out,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25887574) and 2. [jonny sleeps next to nastya when he has nightmares](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112682)
> 
> so! this fic is based on a dream i had where nastya rescued Laika the Space Dog before she could die. (that dream is also featured in [this post,](https://orangezinnia.tumblr.com/post/628848215778852864/since-we-seem-to-be-sharing-mech-dreams-animal) where an ask i sent prompted two people to add a wonderful write, and an adorable fanart!!)
> 
> CW's: BIG animal abuse cw for laika's backstory, and her experience on Sputnik 2. if i've missed any tags/warnings, please let me know!
> 
> at first i wasn't going to post this, bc moral scrupulosity was like "ehh a spaceship isn't a good place for a dog!" and "the mechs are violent people, no way would they make accommodations for a dog!" 
> 
> but you know what? my fic, my rules, and i say that laika is completely Safe and Happy while onboard with the mechs, and that she is never in harm's way (save for getting spooked by a noise toward the end)
> 
> (also bc i can't get the image of nastya holding sweet little laika out of my head, and i want to make you all suffer from the same fate)
> 
> title is a lyric from "Underworld Blues", from the Ulysses Dies At Dawn album!

Jonny dreams of awful things that night- of goodbyes filled with all the wrong words and sapped of time, of airlocks and smoking guns, of the mocking impermanence of death that sends people to places he can't follow.

If it were anyone else staring in those dreams, a stranger or an enemy, he would call it a good dream and wake up refreshed. But it never is, anymore. He hasn't had a pleasent dream, or even a normal dream, in longer than he cares to track.

And so, he calls them nightmares, and seeks refuge on the bed beside Nastya, lest he let weeks go by without even a hint of sleep.

Jonny wakes up slowly, struggling to blink as his heavy eyelids beg for more rest. But the prospect of yet more nightmares is extremely unappealing, so he shakes his head tiredly, drawing himself further out of sleep. His arm, laid across his chest, swings out to Nastya's side of the bed, with intent to wake her up as well.

Instead of landing on Nastya, Jonny's arm bounces on the linen-covered mattress, and he turns to stare confusedly at the vacant space of tossed bedspread and twisted sheets.

The clock on Nastya's nightstand, in tune with Aurora's artificial day cycle, reads 6:33 A.M.- way too early for her to be up. He'd just knocked on her door three hours ago, his vision blurred and his legs weak, and she wasn't even asleep then.

Maybe she's left because of him, he thinks. It'd make sense, considering that his dreams make him a restless sleeper, and overall bad nighttime company.

But, wait. No. Nastya's not sacrificial like that. If he was really bothering her, she'd simply kick him out. It's her room, after all.

Jonny sits up, and scans around for any sort of answer or hint to where she's gone. When his search proves fruitless, he flops back down, and resigns himself to staring at the clock and waiting.

For 10 minutes.

For 15 minutes.

For 30 minutes.

For an hour.

At the two hour mark, he abruptly stands up, slides into his boots, and stalks out of the room. It's strange for him to wake up without her there, is all, and he'd like to know where she's left to. She can't have gone that far, can she?

It turns out, she can. He finds his explanation by way of a hot pink sticky note stuck on the kitchen table, scrawled on in blue ink. The letters are wide and loopy, uneven and slanting in an apparent haste.

"Took Hauler #6. -Nastya"

Nothing else. No estimated time, no promise of return. No reason, no apologies.

He immediately radios the hauler's frequency, but instead of Nastya's voice, all he gets is harsh static- whether purposeful or not, the signal's being jammed.

"Aurora?" Jonny calls out to the ship instead, "Where did Nastya go?"

"I do not know. She did not tell me. She was too fast," Is what he gathers from the drawn-out and low hiss of pistons, and whirring of fans, sparsed with the double-snap of vent grates.

"Shit. Shit!"

("Out. I'm going out." "Out, where? We're in the middle of fucking nowhere, Nastya.")

("Fine. At least tell me when you're coming back, then." "Ideally, I won't.")

The memory surfaces unbidden and sour, and Jonny sighs, pressing a hand over his tired eyes. It's too early for this, and too soon to worry- she's just gone off on some spur of the moment task, he reasons, and she'll be back within the day.

The day, which drags on with aching and agonizing slowness, as each minute seems to slow to a weak and half-dead crawl.

The day, that turns into two days, then three, then four, each one feeling somehow and impossibly longer than the previous day.

Jonny wishes he could say that he'd took them in stride, that he'd shrugged it off and gone about as his normal brooding and violent self. But he didn't, and hasn't- he spends nearly every moment of those days wondering and worrying, then hating himself for it, trying to coax himself out of it, then hating himself for trying to stop worrying.

Why did she take the hauler so suddenly? Why didn't she explain where she was going? Why is the signal jammed? Is she hurt, is she fine? Where did she go? Did she leave because of them? Had she been planning this?

Is she coming back?

Ugh, no, he can't go on this same ridiculous loop every time Nastya is out of sight. She's her own person who can make her own choices, and she's entitled to her privacy and secrets. Anyway, she hasn't shown any signs of wanting to leave for good, lately.

...Has she? He didn't even know she was planning on leaving when he'd first caught her at the airlock. Ah, no, what is he doing, trying to leave her be?! She could be dead right now, flinging herself into some sun, or a black hole, or drifting off into the vast cosmos to be lost forever! He has to-

He could-

He should-

Jonny's thoughts are interrupted by Ashes, who clears their throat as they stand in front of him. Jonny looks up at them from where he sits on the Common's couch, and raises his eyebrows, a prompt for them to speak.

Ashes presents him with a cigarette, and in their other hand, a lit match. "Want a cigarette?"

Jonny takes the cigarette and match silently, lighting it and greedily drawing from it. Ashes then lights their own cigarette, and they lean against the arm of the couch, smoking beside Jonny.

"So," They speak up eventually, "Nastya took a hauler."

"Mhm."

"And it's signal is jammed."

"Yup."

"...What do you make of it?"

Jonny taps some ash off of the cigarette and onto the floor. "If she comes back, I'll kill her for being so vague."

Ashes chuckles lightly. "You're not the only one who's been considering that. I've heard Tim and Raphaella say the same thing at least twice today."

"And you? What do you think about it?"

Ashes shrugs. "I think we should give it more time before coming to any horrible conclusions."

Jonny huffs. "It's a bit too late for that."

Suddenly, Jonny's comlink beeps, and he snatches it out of his pocket to see the display showing an incoming signal from Hauler 6's frequency.

Ashes grins. "Speak of the devil."

Jonny's emotions cycle through surprise-relief-exasperation-annoyance in a flash, and when he answers the call, he's already angry. "Nastya!! Where the fuck did you go?"

"I'm- I, uh- I took the hauler." Nastya's voice is slightly shaky, in a way that he recognizes as the result of an adrenaline rush. Something has her frightened.

Jonny's heart drops. "Are you coming back?"

"Of course," She says immediately, like it's the most obvious answer. "I just- uhm- okay, strange question... do we, in the kitchen, have any food that is suitable for a dog to consume...?"

"Uh..." Jonny looks up at Ashes, who frowns back at him.

"What sort of dog?" They ask, "And from what planet?"

"Ah- a small dog, slightly larger than an octokitten- with only one head. And from Earth."

"Hmm..." Ashes goes to the door of the Common and shouts across the hall to the kitchen, where Tim currently sits and tinkers with a laser gun beneath the LED lights. "Hey, Tim! What do earth dogs eat? The small ones."

"Oh, in terms of what?" Tim shouts back.

"In terms of what we have in the fridge."

Jonny hears the suction of the fridge being opened, and the plastic clanking of the meat drawer being pulled out.

"We have beef! And chicken. Non-modified."

"Is it expired?"

There's an exaggerated sniffing sound (dramatic fucker, Jonny thinks fondly,) before Tim replies. "Nope! Seems fresh."

"Good." Ashes returns to the couch and nods, then remembers that Nastya can't see them, and conveys "Yup. We have food for a dog. Why?"

Jonny suddenly registers the oddity of the question as well, and narrows his eyes. "Yeah, why DO you want to know if we can feed a dog?"

Nastya's response of "Why do you-" is cut off by a quiet, high-pitched whining and whimpering in the background. Her voice moves away from the speaker at that, and her now distant whispering sounds almost like cooing.

"Nastya?"

Nastya's voice comes back into clarity to say "I'm bringing home a dog."

"Nastya's bringing a dog?!" Tim says excitedly, as he approaches the couch. "What's it's name? When can we see it?"

"Her name is Laika, and she's been though a lot in the past three days. I'll be taking her straight back to my living pod. If... if she lives, then you can see her. Please keep loud noises away from my living pod while she is there." There's more whimpering in the background, and more hushed whispering quickly follows. "I'll be there in a few hours," she says in a rush, then the connection cuts off.

Jonny sits still for a moment, stunned, and then he mutters "Who is that, and what have they done with our Nastya?"

"What do you mean?" Tim asks, confused. "She didn't sound any different."

"I know, but- Nastya doesn't do that! She doesn't take off on sudden... rescue missions! This is strange, right? I can't be the only one who thinks this is strange."

"It's not that strange," Ashes says calmly. "Dogs are cute. I wouldn't blame her if she couldn't reisst the temptation to adopt one."

"It's been so long since I've seen a dog from Earth," Tim laments. "I hope the puppy lives."

"You think it's a puppy?" Ashes asks.

"Oh, not exactly. I just like to call all dogs puppies."

"So I AM the only one who thinks it's strange. Got it," Jonny mumbles, as Ashes and Tim fall into discussion about dog and human age equivalence. ("I thought it was seven human years to one dog year?" "No, it's eight years in the first year, then it slows down to four years per one. Varies with the dog's size, too.")

***

Nastya sits in her living pod with her back against the wall, and in her lap rests Laika, swathed in a dark red, soft, thick fleece blanket.

The dog shivers heavily in her arms, from a combination of fear, stress, and the cold. Nastya takes edges of the blanket and carefully tries to rub warmth back into Laika's freezing ears and skin.

Nastya pulls the food bowl closer to Laika's snout, and pleads with her to eat. "Come on. You need your strength. You need to eat."

Laika still doesn't move, and Nastya sighs worriedly. The dog has been here for a several hours now, and has refused to eat or drink at all in that entire time.

"Please, Laika? You survived three days of being stuck in a tiny shuttle, then being shot into space. You can't die from dehydration, now."

Laika's only response is another high, long whimper.

Nastya leans her head back against the wall, and closes her eyes, exhausted. The bright lettering of her Augmented Reality Interface flashes against the darkness of her eyelids, and she suddenly gets an idea.

\- CONNECTION REQUEST SENT TO: S.S. AURORA 07-09-211 - (Nickname: Aurora)

\- PENDING... PENDING...

\- CONNECTION REQUEST ACCEPTED.

\- CHANNEL OPENED BETWEEN [ANASTASIA NIKOLAEVNA ROMANOVA (Nickname: Nastya)] AND [S.S. AURORA 07-09-211 (Nickname: Aurora)]

\- [Nastya]: Aurora? Laika won't eat or drink. What do I do? I've tried giving her space to eat, then leaving her alone, now holding her, and nothing has worked.

\- [Aurora]: My research suggests attempting to handfeed her. Smear some of the meat sauce on her snout, wait for her to lick it, then present her with a small offering.

Nastya does as explained, dipping her finger into the food bowl and tapping it onto Laika's snout, careful not to block her nostrils. On instinct, Laika's tongue flicks out and licks away the sauce, then her head perks up a bit in apparent intrigue, and she inches her mouth toward the bowl.

Nastya scoops up a small bit of the ground meat, and warily holds it out to Laika. Nastya isn't certain of Laika's temperament at this point, and she doesn't know if the dog will snap at her fingers or not.

Laika sniffs at the meat, then, ever so slowly, opens her mouth and takes a bite.

Nastya waits for Laika to fall into a relaxed and regular pattern of eating before giving her whispering praise. "Yes! There we are! Good girl! Yes, good girl! Sweet little one, sweet malen'kaya!"

Laika ends up finishing the entire food bowl, and with some of her strength restored, begins to wiggle out of the blanket and toward the water bowl, which is set further away from them. Nastya releases her hold on Laika, and the dog walks on lightly quaking legs to go drink.

Nastya closes her eyes again, and returns to her channel with Aurora.

\- [Nastya]: It worked! She started drinking the water, as well.

\- [Aurora]: I am pleased to hear this, my love! Do you need any further assistence?

\- [Nastya]: No, thank you. We're fine for now :)

\- [Aurora]: <3 <3 <3

\- CHANNEL CLOSED.

"Thank fuck," Nastya breathes tiredly. "You scared me, malen'kaya. I didn't want to have to watch you wither away in my arms, if you kept turning down the food and water."

Once done with the water, Laika (to Nastya's surprise) returns to Nastya's lap, settling back on top of the blanket. Nastya stratches behind Laika's ears and on top of her head, and her tail begins to wag at the contact.

Nastya smiles. "Oh, I think the others will like you very much."

Laika barks once, sounding happy despite the strained and rough quality of it, then lowers her head in to rest in a curled circle.

"Ah, are you sleepy, little one?" Nastya runs her hand gently along Laika's back. "You can have a nap. I'll keep you safe."

Laika blinks slowly, then yawns, and-

Oh, god. It's one of the cutest things that Nastya has ever seen. There's a fuzzy and tight warmth bubbling in Nastya's chest- one that makes her want to laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. It's protectiveness mixed with care and joy, and to have the feelings so vibrant and present for something other than her Aurora is... almost unsettling.

But it's comforting, too. And as Laika lets out a small sleepy huff, and turns her head to press it closer to Nastya's leg, Nastya reasons that she'll get used to this feeling in no time.

***

Laika is steadily introduced to each of the crew in short, supervised visits in Nastya's room. Nearly every visit is calm and goes well, save for the first time that Laika meets the Toy Solider, where she experimentally gnaws on its hand, mistaking it for a toy. (Well, it technically is, Nastya reasons, but it's not the best toy for her little Laika.)

"There will be new rules aboard this ship," Nastya had explained to the crew one by one. "Laika will reside primarily in my living pod, and in the O'Neill ring. It is soundproofed from the rest of the ship, so you may continue to be loud in Aurora herself."

"But in the ring? There will be no gunfire. There will be no explosions. There will be no actual fire. You will not be armed while around her. My dog will be safe here, and she will be happy."

Not one of them contested or argued. How could they, when Laika was staring at them with those wide and beady puppy-eyes?

"What about the Octokittens?" Tim had asked during his visit, "What if they get aggressive with Laika?"

"Oddly enough, the Octokittens are fine with Laika. They are friendly with her."

"What?!"

"Yes, yes. I suppose they see her as an equal, somehow. Not a threat, and not prey. I even caught her and a stray Octokitten playing together in the hall. They were chasing and play-tackling, but neither truly harmed the other."

"Oh, you're lucky," Tim had cooed to Laika in his lap, earning himself a lick across the face.

***

Nastya's head peeks around the corner of the doorway, and her gaze scans across where the crew all sit on the floor of the Common. It's the only room in the main ship that Laika has familiarized herself with, and they're all going to meet Laika as a group now.

"No weapons on any of you?" Nastya calls. "No explosives, no corrosive chemicals?"

Jonny pats down his pockets, and nods when there's no guns to be found. It's disconcerting to not be armed at all, but when Nastya sets a rule, well... he wouldn't envy whoever seeks to break it.

Nastya enters the room, gently lowering Laika from her arms and shutting the door behind her. Laika stands still for a moment, taking in the room and the crew, before excitedly approaching the group and quickly roving between them to sniff at their clothing and hands.

"Oh... Oh, I love her..." Ivy says softly, reaching her hand toward Laika. Her eyes are alight with wonder and curiousity, despite it not being the first time she's met Laika. Laika sniffs at Ivy's hand, then licks at the knuckles. Ivy laughs happily and scratches at the side of Laika's face.

When Brian starts to pet her, Laika jolts at the feeling of his brass plating against her fur, but she quickly adjusts to the sensation, and lets out a few pleased barks as he strokes his hand along her spine.

While they each do get a turn at petting and playing with her (except for Jonny, who sits back from it all), Laika seems to be quite taken with Ashes, as she puts her paws on their crossed legs to sniff up at their face, then drops herself into their lap.

Ashes smiles widely, and looks down at Laika with pride and reverence. "I've been chosen," they say quietly, as if speaking any louder might scare the dog away.

"Gee, Ashes, how come you get all of her attention?" Marius says, patting his own legs in a futile attempt at coaxing Laika to him.

"What can I say? Laika wants what she wants." Ashes pats Laika's side- perhaps a bit too roughly, as she starts to squirm uncomfortably, and barks in warning. "Oops! Sorry," Ashes lightens their patting, "I guess rough petting was Cerberus's thing."

"How did you find Laika, anyway?" Raphaella asks, turning to Nastya, who stands off to the side and surveys the scene.

"Ah, you see, Aurora's storytelling algorithms got corrupted, and instead of telling me original stories, she started relaying news broadcasts from nearby planets. Through that, I learned of Earth's plan to send a dog into space, and I decided to intercept their mission."

"Huh. You decided just... right there? On the spot?"

Nastya nods.

Raphaella looks to the side contemplatively, then shrugs in acceptance. "Well, I'm glad you did." She tosses the end of a tug-rope toy toward Laika, who only chews at it half-heartedly, still more interested in Ashes's lap than anything else. "Because Laika here is very cute."

Jonny frowns at the entire scene, but not out of dislike for Laika- no, he's just... confused, still. In the haste of Nastya's return and her subsequent quarantine to her living pod with Laika, he'd forgotten to ask her why she had gotten the dog in the first place. It doesn't make sense, when paired with everything else he knows about Nastya.

Jonny stands and stretches- ugh, why do his popping joints have to sound like he's snapping his very bones?- then makes pointed eye contact with Nastya, and subtly nods to the doorway. They need to speak in private.

Nastya gets the message, giving him a light nod of her own, and then announcing "Oh, I should bring some treats for Laika. I'll be right back."

They meet up in the main hallway outside, with Jonny having gone out of one of the side doors, while Nastya exited through the main door.

"I don't believe we were very stealthy about that," She points out.

"Stealth wasn't the goal. The goal was privacy."

"Hm. Well, what is so important for you to say?"

They're forced to talk as they walk, as Nastya leads them to her pod to retrieve Laika's treats.

"Why in the hell did you get a dog?"

Nastya glares at Jonny, immediately affronted and defensive. "Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't have gotten her? Because it is too late, now. She's here, and she's happy, and she's mine."

"Ugh- no, I mean-! It just doesn't seem like you to go all white-knight and interrupt some planet's... science project. The last time you swooped in to save something was with the Briar Rose, and even that wasn't your decision! It was Aurora's!"

Nastya looks away and falls quiet, not saying a word as they enter the O'Neill ring, and as they walk into her living pod. But she eventually spins around to face Jonny, crossing her arms over her chest and looking intently at him.

"Jonny, the... the shuttle that Laika was in... it wasn't meant to return to Earth. She was going to float out in space for a week, until her oxygen ran out, and she died."

"-When I first heard about it, something just... snapped, and I knew I had to save her. I- I know how horrible it is, being prepared to die alone, adrift amongst the stars. Maybe not as intimately as Tim or Brian might, but- well, they didn't hear the broadcast, did they? I was the only one to hear about her that had any remote idea of how crushingly frightening it would be."

"I got to her just two hours after her launch, but already, the thermal control of her shuttle was failing." Nastya shakes her head sadly. "She was going to overheat to death, far away from any comfort and all that she'd ever known, out in the middle of nowhere."

Jonny flinches at the usage of the phrase, and when he speaks next, his tone has softened. "Yeah, I hear you. She's... she's a good dog," he tries to amend, "I'm glad you saved her."

Nastya nods, seemingly satisfied by his response, and walks away to retrieve Laika's treats, stored in one of her desk drawers.

"Wait, why was the hauler's signal jammed, then?"

Nastya shrugs. "I didn't want to be questioned until I had Laika securely in the hauler, and was on route back to the Aurora."

"Don't do that again," Jonny says sternly. "You- do you even know how fucking vague your note was?"

"What? I told you I took Hauler 6. That should have been enough."

"You didn't say when you'd be coming back. Or if you would, at all."

Nastya lets out a cold "Hmph," and nothing else.

"That's all? Just 'Hmph'?" Jonny mocks, as his anger from the days spent hopelessly and fearfully wondering begins to resurface. "Damn it, Nastya, you had us all worried! You didn't even say anything to Aurora! What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Well, I'm sorry that you all have nothing better to do with your time than wring your hands and fret!" Nastya looks cornered now, her shoulders hunched and her jaw fixed tight.

"You don't mean that," Jonny says in a low huff, and he can't tell if he's done it out of hurt, or as a threat. How did they devolve in an argument this quickly?

"I do!" Nastya snaps, though she sounds uncertain, as if she's trying to convince herself as well. "I am not- there's no reason you should be concerned like that, when I leave!"

"You're really going to say that, even though I caught you two seconds before you would've tossed yourself into the void?" Jonny snarls. "You're going to tell me we have no reason to be worried when you go M.I.A. with no warning, after that?"

"Like I said. You have no reason to be concerned."

Jonny's mouth opens and closes as he finds himself at a loss for what to say, with his fists clenched at his sides, and his face flushing hot with frustration. And then, he thinks further on Nastya's words, and it clicks into place.

"You fucking- goddamn you," Jonny sighs, and his anger starts to bleed away as he approaches Nastya.

"What are you-?" Nastya doesn't even time to finish her sentence before Jonny has her in a hug. She goes still for a moment, shocked, then returns the hug one-armed, as her other hand still holds Laika's treat bag.

"Goddamn you,' Jonny repeats, "And your self-loathing. Save some for the rest of us."

"...I hate you," Nastya tries weakly at their argument again, even as she presses Jonny closer to her. "I really do."

Jonny thumps her back comfortingly- once, twice. "I hate you too."

"Fucker. It shouldn't scare you when I leave. You shouldn't miss me."

"Too bad, 'cause it does, and we do. So, knock it out with the cryptic disappearing-act bullshit."

Nastya doesn't say anything to that, just breaks away from the hug after one solidly tight squeeze, and adamantly avoids eye contact with Jonny. "We should go back to Laika. She'll be wondering where I went."

"Yeah, um. Right. Let's go."

***

When they get back to the Common, Laika is nowhere to be seen, and the crew all look like deer caught in the headlights.

Nastya's voice becomes icy cold and dangerous. "Where. Is. My. Dog. ?"

"She's just hiding under the couch!" Ivy assures Nastya. "She got scared and dove under there."

"And, pray tell, how did you scare my dog?

Everyone collectively points at Raphaella, who puts her hands up. "All I did was sneeze! I mean, yes, it was loud- but just a sneeze! And an accident!"

Nastya still takes a moment to glare daggers at Raphaella, before approaching the couch and kneeling down. "Malen'kaya? Laika? You can come out, now. Come on!"

At the sound of Nastya's voice, Laika immediately scrabbles out from underneath the couch, and leaps into Nastya's arms.

"Oh! Oh, little one- my sweet-" Nastya settles Laika against herself, "Yes, it's okay- mother is here- shh, yes," Laika's frightened form relaxes in Nastya's hold, and her comforting chant fades into soothing mumbles.

Nastya isn't aware of everyone staring at her until she turns back around to present the now eased Laika, and-

"...Why are you all smiling like that?"

"Care to repeat what you referred to yourself as, while talking to Laika?" Brian says through his grin.

"Uh... oh," Nastya feels her cheeks grow warm, and she knows she must be blushing. "No, I do not."

"It's easier when you accept that you're their parent right away, Nastya," Tim advises. "As the proud parent of 229 Octokittens, trust me."

"I'm not- she's just my dog."

"I guess you didn't just call yourself her 'mother', then," Jonny says, sitting beside Nastya, and he reaches for Laika with both of his hands.

Nastya quickly curls protectively around Laika, blocking his reach. "No, you don't grab for her like... that..." Nastya seems to realize the instinctiveness her action, and sighs in resignation. "Fine, yes. I suppose I am her... mother, now. As much a person can be, to a pet."

Nastya uncurls from around Laika, and gently removes Laika from her lap, depositing the dog on the ground before Jonny. "And! It is about time she got some attention from you, too. Here, give her that," Nastya says, and she presents Jonny with one of Laika's treats.

Jonny offer the treat to Laika, who sniffs warily at it, then takes the entire thing in one motion. She lowers her head to the ground as she crunches on it, and when she finshes, Jonny pets her rewardingly on her little back.

"You know, I must admit I'm impressed," Jonny says to her, smiling, "I don't remember the last time anyone managed to subdue us all like this. We've only known you for a few days, and you're already better than the Marquis de All the Knives."

Laika's entire body is moved with the force of her tail wagging, and she pants happily as she looks up at Jonny.

She is, arguably, surrounding by some of the most horrid and immoral people in the galaxy, and yet she stares at them as if they're the best people in the world.

And yet, they all care for her as if she's the best pup in the world. (They aren't wrong.)

**Author's Note:**

> fun fact: nastya's nickname for laika, "malen'kaya", is apparently russian for "little one", and was also a nickname given to the real actual Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova
> 
> i'm on tumblr at [orangezinnia!](https://orangezinnia.tumblr.com) please ask me about my nastya headcanon(s), i need an excuse to share my thoughts
> 
> i live on comments <3 i drink them in like the dry soil beneath a dehydrated plant, and they're always welcome <3


End file.
